Zero hours
Zero hours contracts are sometimes used by employers that require flexibility in their workforce, for example where the need for workers is unpredictable. Under a zero hours contract, the employer is not obliged to offer the worker a set number of hours. Their use has attracted controversy and in 2013 the government outlined plans to restrict the use of “exclusivity clauses” whereby workers are stopped from working for other employers.
Top 10 HR questions October 2018: annual leave and sickness absence
How should employers deal with annual leave entitlement for employees on long-term sick leave? This issue is dealt with in...
Three-quarters of staff experience pay ‘volatility’
Almost three-quarters (73%) of workers see their income fluctuate from month to month, with lower earners at more risk of...
Nearly half of zero-hours workers want regular shifts
Almost half of people on zero-hours contracts want to work more hours and in a more regular shift pattern, but...
From Uber to Deliveroo via Pimlico: The search for clarity on the gig economy
In recent cases it has become apparent that Uber, City Sprint, Deliveroo and Pimlico Plumbers had each created contracts that purported to ensure that their “partners” – the drivers, cyclists and plumbers – were classed as “self employed”
Most employers back idea for stable contract requests
Two-thirds of employers back the introduction of a right for agency workers and zero-hours contract workers to request a stable...
Don’t believe the gig economy hype, says Matthew Taylor
The view that full-time employment is in retreat and will be subsumed by the gig economy is not borne out...
Zero hours contracts increase by 100,000 as workers more aware
The number of people on zero hour contracts in the UK increased by around 100,000 last year, according to the...
MPs urge ministers to speed up gig economy measures
MPs have accused the Government of being too slow to act on recommendations that would protect the rights of gig...
KFC staff asked to take holiday during restaurant closures
KFC employees have been asked to take annual leave to cover the working time they have lost following chicken supply...
Five things buried in the Good Work plan consultations
When the Government revealed its plans to bolster workers’ rights from their first day at work under its Good Work...
Taylor review: Government pledges to enforce day-one rights for workers
The Government has vowed to enforce workers’ rights from their first day in a job, in response to the recommendations...
How gig economy compromises health and wellbeing of workers
How you’re employed or hired can have a bearing on the way you’re looked after by your employer, writes Tim...
Bill looking to ban zero-hours contracts moves a step closer
A bill seeking to ban zero-hours contacts and bolster workers’ rights is to come before parliament for a second reading...
Zero hours workers subject to more sexual harassment
Two fifths of women and a fifth of men in the UK say they have experienced unwanted sexual behaviour at...
Top 10 HR questions September 2017: Travel time and zero hours status
Should you include time spent travelling when calculating employees’ working time? The number one FAQ for September deals with this...
